Dealing with diabetes can be a daunting task. It affects our overall immune system, causes inflammatory problems, and is also responsible for nerve pain. Diabetic Neuropathy, a condition diabetic patients may develop, causes serious pain in the legs and arms. And, there aren’t many treatments available for this condition.
However, many researchers have found CBD for diabetic nerve pain to be an effective treatment method. If you are suffering from neuropathic pain, you must consider using CBD oil or broad-spectrum CBD. If you are not sure how and why it works, continue reading to find out more.
Does CBD Help With Diabetes?
CBD can help you cut down high blood sugar, and bad cholesterol levels, and stimulate insulin production as well. By doing so, it can act as a supporting agent to you in managing diabetes.
How Does CBD Help Diabetes?
People with diabetes often suffer from many related ailments. Chronic neuropathic pain and neuropathy in the feet and legs are some of the comorbidities a diabetic person goes through. To manage pain, you might want to consider CBD products, as several studies have shown that CBD is effective[1] against neuropathic pain. Moreover, CBD for diabetes helps in treating not only blood glucose but also several other diabetic symptoms as well.
CBD For Diabetic Nerve Pain Relief
One of the most significant benefits of CBD is its pain-relieving properties. Most CBD products including CBD oils and CBD creams work well against peripheral neuropathy as well. If you are suffering from conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, CBD oil can save you from a lot of pain.
First, you need to understand a bit about diabetes and neuropathy. This health condition is inflammatory, and in turn, causes nerve pain in several parts of your body. Researchers have shown that cannabinoids can suppress[2] inflammation and neuropathic pain. Cannabinoids, which are found in CBD, work on the core of the problem. They target the nerve endings, and by doing so, anti-inflammatory effects. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how CBD can aid you in pain management caused by type 1 or type 2 diabetes:
CBD Regulates Pain Signals
CBD regulates pain and its sensation by stimulating the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter called Adenosine. This way, CBD product helps enhance the adenosine levels in the brain and nervous system, which helps reduce pain caused by peripheral neuropathy.
CBD might also help in blocking pain signals from reaching the pain processing centers in your brain. It does this by binding to TRPV1, a receptor responsible for inflammation and pain.[3]
CBD Enhances Immune Response
CBD may help in suppressing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines[4] as well. Additionally, it also plays a role in inhibiting the proliferation of T cells. By doing so, CBD helps in managing your immune response better to inflammation and neuropathy.
CBD Reduces Inflammation
CBD contains several anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,[5] which help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. It may also decrease inflammation by balancing the levels of microelements such as selenium and zinc, which are highly essential for a balanced immune response. CBD oils can also help you counter neuropathic pain by regulating hyperalgesia, which is an abnormally increased pain response.
CBD Boosts Your Sleep And Mood
When you are suffering from diabetes treatment, the pain may cause you to lose sleep more often than not. And, when you do not get enough sleep, your immune system falls back, which in turn, may lead to more agony.
Enhancing your sleep is one of the well-known effects of CBD. When suffering from diabetic neuropathy, it is common for you to feel fatigued and anxious as well. Cannabidiol lowers the incidence and helps you manage these symptoms.[6] Particularly, broad-spectrum CBD is known to immensely improve your sleep and mood.
CBD For Regulating Blood Sugar Levels
When you try to manage diabetes, it is important to manage blood glucose levels and cholesterol levels. CBD oil can help you regulate both those levels. Moreover, this study[7] has shown that cannabis has a significant role in reducing diabetic incidence.
Taking CBD for diabetes is known to enhance insulin resistance. Apart from that, it can activate PPAR-gamma,[8] a receptor that can increase insulin sensitivity, which in turn helps in diabetes management. With such benefits, you can use CBD to manage your diabetic symptoms, especially chronic diabetic neuropathy.
Benefits Of Using CBD
Other than treating neuropathy, CBD also carries a lot of potential health benefits. With more studies being done, we are slowly getting to know how therapeutic CBD is. Anyhow, let us talk about some health conditions of using CBD products:
- Can work on relieving symptoms such as reducing anxiety, depression, and several other mental health issues.
- Helps in treating seizures. Studies have shown that CBD can help manage Epilepsy.
- According to the National Cancer Institute, the Cannabis plant can also subdue cancer symptoms.
- CBD is also known to alleviate acne intensity, making it an effective anti-acne agent.
- CBD also promotes heart health by managing high blood pressure.[9]
How To Choose The Best CBD Oils?
When shopping for CBD products, you may get confused with all the terms such as full spectrum CBD, hemp-derived CBD products, and whatnot. Moreover, you may see that most CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But, it isn’t a red flag to bother about.
Because, the FDA regulation has approved only one CBD-containing drug, known as Epidiolex.
So, you don’t have to worry about the absence of an FDA-approved label. However, make sure you buy from reputed sellers and reputable CBD companies; for example, the brand has CBD research. Coming to how you can buy and use different types of CBD legal products, here is a brief guide:
- CBD Oil: It can be taken in pure oil form, a capsule, or by mixing it in smoothies, coffee, or other drinks.
- CBD Gummies: You can simply take a gummy into your mouth, chew it for a couple of minutes, and then swallow. CBD gummies can also be added as toppings for different food items.
- CBD Creams: Make sure that your skin is dry, where you are going to apply the CBD cream. Then, take some cream and gently massage it onto your skin. You can apply it 5 to 6 times a day, depending on your needs.
Precautions
While using any product related to health and wellness, you need to be a bit cautious. Do not start using a CBD product without consulting healthcare professionals. You should discuss it with your healthcare provider and also ask him for the right dosages. Especially, if you are a pregnant woman or someone diagnosed with liver diseases or Parkinson’s, you might want to first take medical advice from a qualified holistic cannabis practitioner.
Potential Side Effects
Cannabis does carry some side effects with it. However, not everyone who takes it will experience these. It depends on your body condition, dosage, and a few other factors. Anyhow, here are a few potential side effects you may have to know:
- Dry mouth
- Reduced appetite
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
Conclusion
Diabetic nerve damage can wreak havoc in your life, especially when you do not treat it with certain medications that are effective. Cannabis-derived products are such medications that work excellently against inflammatory and neuropathic pain in the legs and feet. CBD not only helps reduce inflammation but also subdues chronic pain caused by your diabetes. Additionally, it also offers a wide range of potential health benefits that can help you lead a healthy life.
+ 9 Sources
- Wallace, M.S., Marcotte, T.D., Umlauf, A., Gouaux, B. and Atkinson, J.H. (2015). Efficacy of Inhaled Cannabis on Painful Diabetic Neuropathy. The Journal of Pain, [online] 16(7), pp.616–627. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5152762/.
- Xiong, W., Cui, T., Cheng, K., Yang, F., Chen, S.-R., Willenbring, D., Guan, Y., Pan, H.-L., Ren, K., Xu, Y. and Zhang, L. (2012). Cannabinoids suppress inflammatory and neuropathic pain by targeting a3 glycine receptors. Journal of Experimental Medicine, [online] 209(6), pp.1121–1134. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371734/.
- Tsuji, F. and Aono, H. (2012). Role of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases. Pharmaceuticals, [online] 5(8), pp.837–852. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763671/.
- Szekely, Y., Ingbir, M., Bentur, O.S., Hochner, O. and Porat, R. (2020). Natural cannabinoids suppress the cytokine storm in sepsis-like in vitro model. European Cytokine Network, [online] 31(2), pp.50–58. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32933892/.
- Atalay, S., Jarocka-Karpowicz, I. and Skrzydlewska, E. (2019). Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol. Antioxidants, [online] 9(1), p.21. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7023045/.
- Shannon, S. (2019). Cannabidiol in Anxiety and Sleep: A Large Case Series. The Permanente Journal, [online] 23. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326553/.
- Weiss, L., Zeira, M., Reich, S., Har-Noy, M., Mechoulam, R., Slavin, S. and Gallily, R. (2006). Cannabidiol lowers incidence of diabetes in non-obese diabetic mice. Autoimmunity, [online] 39(2), pp.143–151. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16698671/.
- O’Sullivan, S.E. (2016). An update on PPAR activation by cannabinoids. British Journal of Pharmacology, [online] 173(12), pp.1899–1910. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882496/.
- Jadoon, K.A., Tan, G.D. and O’Sullivan, S.E. (2017). A single dose of cannabidiol reduces blood pressure in healthy volunteers in a randomized crossover study. JCI Insight, [online] 2(12). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5470879/.